Show XI I I Spy Inquiry Should Not Ask Rejection of the Constitution By BAUKHAGE News Neica Analyst and Commentator V WASHINGTON When When a man has a strong constitution he doesn't have to think much about it V It works about the same with a nation Especially when both are areV V young arid and vigorous But as they get more mature they may discover V a organs here and there which have to be mended or a few articles i V that have to be amended just because of a changing environment f In any case it isn't a good ideal Idea l to lock your constitution up and never take It out and dust it off otT and V V see if jf It Is still there V This Is the month when what Ben Franklin referred to as the grand Federal Constitution Constitution tion tf on was b born orn in m 1 V Philadelphia after alter V a il more than four i l V V 1 V V V months debate by bythe V iJ V V the constitutional V convention It was V t V V signed Monday r j September 17 r 1 1787 George Washington presided presided pre pre- t. t f sided over the l j convention and presided as well V to V V V as he had as ashead ashead V V head of the ragged ragged ragged rag rag- ged Continentals Baukhage When the document document docu docu- V ment meat was engrossed engrossed engrossed en- en en en- grossed It was signed by all but V Gov Edmund Randolph and Col George Mason of Virginia and ana I Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts V The business being thus 1 1 closed as Washington wrote In Inn adJourned adjourned ad ad- his diary the members n to the City Tavern dined together and took a cordial leave V of each other V Many people at the time thought the Constitution was pretty good as asIt asit asit it was and yet tho the part which Is probably most familiar to the present present present pres pres- V ent generation is the part which our founding fathers recognized as the first thing lacking in the Inal ma draft the draft the first amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of r religion or prohibiting the free exercise exercise exercise ex ex- ex- ex thereof or abridging the V freedom of speech or of 01 the V VV V press or tho the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances t c I This Tilts amendment and th the nine V which followed making up the Bill BiJl f i of Rights were all introduced in 2 the first congress as the Beards in n their Basic History of the United United Unit- Unit 7 ed d States put it in response to toa toa V a fl popular demand but involving no uno alteration In the form of gov- gov V f rV V Congress passed the Bill 4 tV of Rights on to the states which in inV V t.- convention ratified ed them by 1791 V Establishment of these thes fundamental fundamental fundamental funda- funda mental rights says Carl Van Doren Doren Doren Dor- Dor en in The Great Rehearsal Rehearsal may maybe maybe maybe be regarded as the contribution of ot the people to the Constitution They represent the crystallization of those desires for human dignity V in fu the souls of civilized men men men-de- de desires sires which reveal his bis Innate possession possession pos- pos session cession of a spirituality that differentiates dif dif- him from the beasts The maintenance of those L rights as opposed to the attainment attainment attain- attain i ment and safeguarding of purely material possessions has brought V about the clash of ideologies which threatens a crisis In the V world today V Spy Probe i Presses Point S t t During the spy-ring spy investigations by the house un-American un activities activities' i V committee there was much talk talky F y about the violation of the Bill Bm of r Rights The President himself when asked a categorical question on that V subject said he believed that this committee had In the course of its V V hearings infringed these rights He did not specify which of the rights V had been infringed but from his previous previous pre pre- expressions it would seem be he was referring to the fifth filth amendment amendment amendment amend amend- ment which says in part No person shall be held to answer answer an an- for a capital capita or otherwise Infamous infamous Infamous In in- In- In famous crime unless on a presentment presentment present present- V ment or Indictment of a grand V Jury V The President said some of the testimony made public had done irreparable harm to certain V j t persons persons per per- V V sons had slandered a lot of people V V who didn't deserve It He explained that all the evidence V of alleged guilt concerning these V persons had bad already been presented to the grand jury and that the grand jury had not considered It 11 t sufficient grounds for indictment V The jury protecting the rights o of r the individual had not made the thc names public But the un Amen I 1 can activities committee presenting present present- f Ing hag the same evidence had made mad the names public and in so doin doing had according to the implication of the President infringed the Bilof Bill Bil of Rights V From the mall mali I 1 get and the telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone calls I receive I know that tha t many people disagree with tb the e criticisms of the committee full fully V approving of its actions These people I am sure do not believe in the infringement of anyone's constitutional rights I They believe In the American legal principle that a person l lV la Is V Innocent until he is proved guilty But Bat they appear to have con con- the accused In their own minds feel Ceel they are arc guilty and also have the thc feeling that anyone who objects to what the com corn committee committee has done Is guilty of takIng taking takIng tak tak- ing sides with a traitorous person person person per per- son and therefore is himself Indirectly indirectly indirectly in in- directly guilty of treason Before me I have a letter It Is written in good English emotional it Is true but obviously from an Intelligent and educated person It says In part Why not be bo fair In your broadcasts broadcasts broadcasts broad broad- casts It is s scandalous and near criminal to murder a mans man's reputation reputation reputation tation on mere suspicion as Is being done by certain committees committees committees commit commit- tees Investigating communism So far so good With that start I expected a strong defense of the Bill of Rights to follow But no in indeed indeed in- in deed Listen to this but You Yo know perfectly well the necessity of the publicity against communism because there is no other way to arouse arouse the electo electo- rate You know there are Benediet Benedict Benedict Bene Bene- dict diet Arnolds by the score In the administrations administration's set up Wait a minute Is it necessary to violate the Constitution to arouse the electorate If It you OU believe that you believe in revolution Its It's revolution revolution revo re lution if you do not use legal means In exercising your right to change the Constitution But do you want to change the Constitution so the Bill of Rights is infringed Not if it you really mean what you say in the first paragraph of your letter i Who's Selling U. U S. S Down the River As to whether hether there are Benedict Benedict Bene d dict iet Arnolds in the government I h have ave no doubt there may be foreign for for- c eign ign spies in the government and andI I would be in favor of dealing with t them hem much more drastically than p present resent laws permit I hope stronger strong strong- e er r laws will be drafted So does c congress The department of justice justice jus jus- t tice ice has been working on such a l law aw for some time But to say the government V j is full of traitors is e either ither utter nonsense or else the FBI is a lot of morons Now lets let's read further from my listeners listener's l letter etter Canada has officials In En their government who are loyal to tho the country and cleared out the rats on their own initiative We Wo have men who arc are selling us 09 down the river night and day Well as to Canada no one was publicly accused until the court had decided there was legal proof of his guilt The names of those who had been accused and declared innocent innocent in in- innocent in- in never were revealed As to men selling us down the river night and day I will take takei the word of General Eisenhower if it in hi a political year the Presidents President's word cant can't be taken The general said This country keeps its major secrets pretty well Now the writer of this letter is obviously sincere believes accordIng accordIng accord accord- Ing to his own word in the fifth amendment on both legal and moral grounds Yet on the same page speaking with natural but il illogical il ii- logical indignation he asks that the Bill of Rights be abrogated I understand this psychologically I have found myself privately convicting convicting con con- convicting at least one of the persons persons who was accused by a witness before before before be be- fore the un-American un activities committee although I know that In Investigation investigation investigation in- in by the FBI and hearings by the grand jury failed to find this person guilty Perhaps more evidence will be introduced with which the accused can be convicted under the law but as long as we pretend to be loyal Americans we have to hold our tempers and withhold withhold withhold with with- hold our judgments Perhaps before forming opinIons opinions opinions ions on this subject certainly before before before be be- fore expressing them instead of Just counting 10 it might he be well to count the 10 amendments composing composing com corn posing the Bill BUI of Rights and while counting read them over carefully And maybe as a birthday present present present pres pres- ent to the Constitution which has given us the best government we know about read the rest of the document over too If enough people people peo pee pie did that there might be a happier happier happier hap hap- pier birthday all around S S 0 A corn-borer corn in an ear of corn com cant can't bore any more than the corn you can hear every day with your own ear After Alter the recent Olympic games which were held in England British British Brit Brit- ish Prime Minister had Attlee-had to go goto goto goto to the hospital with athletes athlete's foot When Christopher Columbus discovered discovered dis dis- dis covered America he found no cows This was not strange because there was none here It was probably Just as well however since there were no bulls here either |